PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN WAR TIME

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23351, 10 June 1941, Page 10

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN WAR TIME

Sir, —How much longer are the people of New Zealand going to endure all these senseless public holidays on Mondays? Not only do they disorganise trade to an enormous extent, but thousands of anxious mothers and wives were kept waiting an extra day for their air mail for the sake of celebrating the King’s Birthday. The idea of honouring our King by a day of idleness or pleasure seeking at races and at hotels is not only ridiculous; it is at the present time wicked. Most people, if given the choice, would have preferred to work on Monday and keep the factories busy. Mr Nash says . that "every hour of time that can be. used to extend the war effort will, be so used,” etc. He condemns himself. We know that men and women were allowed to do nothing for that war effort, or any other effort from 4.30 p.m. on Friday until 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Is that using every hour? —Yours, etc., SOLDIERS’ MOTHER. June 6, 1941. Sir,—Mr T. N. Gibbs’s reference to our war effort, as reported in “The Press” this morning, is more than timely. Actually, the position is rather worse than he states. With a 40-hour week, and given statutory and annual holidays, the employee works 66 per cent, of the days of the year, and 22 per cent, of his living time—an average of 5i hours a day. This stupendous effort is presumed to be enough to support the highest living standard in the world, somewhere near the highest taxation, and the requirements of a costly war. Obviously it cannot be dbne, and it is about time the Government awoke to the fact—Yours, etc., N. June 6, 1941.